Cheesesteak 101

In Philly, cheesesteaks are a civic icon, a tourist draw and a cultural obsession. Often imitated around the world, the cheesesteak is rarely duplicated successfully outside of Philadelphia. So what is an authentic cheesesteak and where did it come from? Here’s the lowdown on this region’s favorite sandwich.

Visit Shank’s Original for a highly reputed cheesesteak and an old-school South Philly experience transplanted to Center City. The tradition of Shank’s dates back to 1962 when Shank’s and Evelyn’s (“Shank’s”) opened its doors to the Italian Market near 10th and Catherine Streets. In 2009, Shank’s closed it’s original location and opened a new location in Center City Philadelphia known as Shank’s Original Uptown.

One might think that Philadelphia already has enough cheesesteak eateries to last it a life time. While that may very well be true, you can never really have too many options for cheesesteak bliss. Enter Steaks on South, a relative newcomer to Philadelphia’s cheesesteak scene, but one that is already turning a lot of heads and filling a lot of stomachs.

If you’re a saavy enough cheesesteak aficionado, you will no doubt want to make the trek out to Roxborough, near Manayunk in Philadelphia’s northwestern ridge. There, along Henry Avenue, you’ll find Dalessandro’s Steaks. Dalessandro’s has been serving delicious — if sinfully greasy — cheesesteaks from their corner locale for as long as anybody can remember. Legend has it that the grillmasters at Delassandro’s season their sizable flattoped grill with fat before adding the meat.